What do you think?
Rate this book
Tarot Card Mystery #3
The Star: A Tarot Card Mystery
After two recent encounters with crime, Warren Ritter is determined to live the quiet life, but fate isn't paying any attention. His daughter, Fran, with whom he has only recently become acquainted, is in serious need of his help. She has separated from her husband, Orrin, who has taken their five-month-old son and refuses to give him back. If she challenges him, he will lie about her suitability as a mother. He's a police officer and she is afraid he can get away with it. Things become even more complicated when Orrin is found dead and Fran becomes the prime suspect. Now it's going to take Warren's full store of resources to clear his daughter's name.
David Skibbins's two previous novels have received high praise, both for his unusual and likable sleuth, the "hippie of a certain age" Warren, and the vivid Berkeley setting. With this third installment, Skibbins gives readers another thrilling adventure embellished with the mysteries of the tarot.
David Skibbins's two previous novels have received high praise, both for his unusual and likable sleuth, the "hippie of a certain age" Warren, and the vivid Berkeley setting. With this third installment, Skibbins gives readers another thrilling adventure embellished with the mysteries of the tarot.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2007
40 people want to read
About the author
David Skibbins
14 books14 followersDavid Skibbins won the St. Martin’s Minotaur/Malice Domestic Competition for Best First Traditional Mystery Novel with Eight of Swords. He is a certified life coach and lives on the Pacific Coast in California with his brilliant wife and his goofy Portuguese water dog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 11, 2018
This is the first Tarot Card Mystery I have read and I really enjoyed it. The "detective", Warren Ritter, is a survivor of the explosion that killed many of the Weather Underground in the '60s and he is just settling down to a new identity in Berkeley, CA after being on the run for many years. He is also dealing with manic depression and to his surprise finds that he has a grown daughter who has the same illness. When she calls out for help he has to respond and he uses all of his old hippie connections and skills to do so. The cast of characters is engaging and the "family" he creates made me want to join.
November 8, 2014
I became a big fan of this author back when I was doing research for my Renaissance 2.0 series, which is set in Berkeley, California, as is the case with the Tarot Card Mysteries by David Skibbins. I had lived in Berkeley for over ten years, and in the greater Bay Area for over twenty, but I had been away from both for even longer. Since Skibbins sets his stories in Berkeley from 2,000 on, I figured it’d give me a chance to see how much things had changed in my old stomping ground. I was surprised and a bit delighted to find that things hadn’t changed all that much; what I’d come to love about Berkeley, in particular, remains intact after all these years. Which of course made my writing of Renaissance 2.0 that much easier. How can you not like a guy who simplifies your life for you to that degree?
Skibbins’ books ooze local atmosphere and the characters are poignant and unforgettable, much like they are in rea life. In fact, he bases much of his characters on actual personas, which I can testify to because I remember the folks he’s referring to from when I was last living in Berkeley! Because the setting of Berkeley is so pronounced throughout the series, it is a bona fide character in its own right. That meant reading one of his books was like reading ten of someone else’s set in Berkeley, once again simplifying my homework immensely. If Skibbins was just a great boon to local area research, I’d have been happy to walk away with that. But as it turns out, his series is a delight to read. To date I’ve read all of the books in his Tarot Card mystery series, and have been eagerly awaiting more. My biggest complaint is his books are such short, breezy reads that they are over far too quickly. And that is one thing that will definitely distinguish my Renaissance 2.0 series, as those books are far bigger, and you will need to slow down and concentrate more to take them in, as there’s quite a lot going on. I envy writers who you can read even at the burnt out end of your days when you can barely concentrate and summon enough mind power to remember your own name. So to say he’s easily accessible is an understatement.
I’m not sure if these qualify as cozy mysteries or not, though they very well might; fans of that sub-genre will definitely feel at home here in any case. All the books are written with a fairly consistent quality, so chances are if you love this one, you’ll love them all. In Star, our hero, Warren Ritter, has to fight to clear his daughter’s name of a crime, so he’s got perhaps a little more skin in the game than with other installments. You might think that would reduce the amount of cheeky humor, but it doesn’t; the author’s sense of humor remains one of the defining points of this franchise. The fact that Warren is a manic depressive means this series falls into the “defective detective” subgenre, as politically incorrect as that is to say. It’s one of the many things that make Warren such a fun, and unforgettable character.
Skibbins’ books ooze local atmosphere and the characters are poignant and unforgettable, much like they are in rea life. In fact, he bases much of his characters on actual personas, which I can testify to because I remember the folks he’s referring to from when I was last living in Berkeley! Because the setting of Berkeley is so pronounced throughout the series, it is a bona fide character in its own right. That meant reading one of his books was like reading ten of someone else’s set in Berkeley, once again simplifying my homework immensely. If Skibbins was just a great boon to local area research, I’d have been happy to walk away with that. But as it turns out, his series is a delight to read. To date I’ve read all of the books in his Tarot Card mystery series, and have been eagerly awaiting more. My biggest complaint is his books are such short, breezy reads that they are over far too quickly. And that is one thing that will definitely distinguish my Renaissance 2.0 series, as those books are far bigger, and you will need to slow down and concentrate more to take them in, as there’s quite a lot going on. I envy writers who you can read even at the burnt out end of your days when you can barely concentrate and summon enough mind power to remember your own name. So to say he’s easily accessible is an understatement.
I’m not sure if these qualify as cozy mysteries or not, though they very well might; fans of that sub-genre will definitely feel at home here in any case. All the books are written with a fairly consistent quality, so chances are if you love this one, you’ll love them all. In Star, our hero, Warren Ritter, has to fight to clear his daughter’s name of a crime, so he’s got perhaps a little more skin in the game than with other installments. You might think that would reduce the amount of cheeky humor, but it doesn’t; the author’s sense of humor remains one of the defining points of this franchise. The fact that Warren is a manic depressive means this series falls into the “defective detective” subgenre, as politically incorrect as that is to say. It’s one of the many things that make Warren such a fun, and unforgettable character.
February 19, 2019
Third in the series of tarot card mysteries.
His new found daughter is accused of murdering her husband and Warren is once again sucked into a murder.
His new found daughter is accused of murdering her husband and Warren is once again sucked into a murder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
A really fun plot, undownputtable!
August 12, 2007
THE STAR (Amateur Sleuth-California-Cont) – G+
Skibbins, David – 3rd book
Thomas Dunne Books, 2007- US Hardcover- ISBN: 9780312361938
*** Warren Ritter’s peaceful day reading Tarot cards on Telegraph Ave. is brought to an abrupt end. His daughter, Fran, whom he has only met, shows up. She is separated from her husband, a police officer, and he has now taken their baby away from her refusing to give her back. Soon, the husband is found murdered and Fran is the prime suspect. It’s up to Warren to prove her innocence.
*** There was much to like about this book and a few things that didn’t quite work for me. I very much enjoy Warren. He has a great voice and provides the reader with an excellent understanding of clinical depression, although it’s almost a bit too much so, at time, as it can slow the pace of the story. I liked that the plot revolved around Warren’s family as it gives more dimension to the character. The sense of place is well done and gives the reader a real view of Greater Bay Area/Northern California towns. I’m not one who usually pays much attention to the physical book I’m reading, but I did notice it here. I Ioved the type font used for the headings and, with the story taking place around Christmas, the use of old carols at the beginning of each section. However, the publisher has changed the style of the covers and I really preferred the old ones. Now we come to the “didn’t quite work for me” part. One problem with writing in the first person is conveying what happens when the character is not on scene. I felt it a bit awkward to think so many people would remember long conversations verbatim. I also kept wondering where were the detectives who would have been investigating the husband’s murder. However, there were more things to like about the book than not. The plot was interesting, the story definitely kept me reading and I enjoyed it.
Skibbins, David – 3rd book
Thomas Dunne Books, 2007- US Hardcover- ISBN: 9780312361938
*** Warren Ritter’s peaceful day reading Tarot cards on Telegraph Ave. is brought to an abrupt end. His daughter, Fran, whom he has only met, shows up. She is separated from her husband, a police officer, and he has now taken their baby away from her refusing to give her back. Soon, the husband is found murdered and Fran is the prime suspect. It’s up to Warren to prove her innocence.
*** There was much to like about this book and a few things that didn’t quite work for me. I very much enjoy Warren. He has a great voice and provides the reader with an excellent understanding of clinical depression, although it’s almost a bit too much so, at time, as it can slow the pace of the story. I liked that the plot revolved around Warren’s family as it gives more dimension to the character. The sense of place is well done and gives the reader a real view of Greater Bay Area/Northern California towns. I’m not one who usually pays much attention to the physical book I’m reading, but I did notice it here. I Ioved the type font used for the headings and, with the story taking place around Christmas, the use of old carols at the beginning of each section. However, the publisher has changed the style of the covers and I really preferred the old ones. Now we come to the “didn’t quite work for me” part. One problem with writing in the first person is conveying what happens when the character is not on scene. I felt it a bit awkward to think so many people would remember long conversations verbatim. I also kept wondering where were the detectives who would have been investigating the husband’s murder. However, there were more things to like about the book than not. The plot was interesting, the story definitely kept me reading and I enjoyed it.
October 4, 2010
#3 Warren Ritter "Tarot Card" mystery. Warren, formerly known as Weather Underground radical Richard Green, is determined to settle into his new life and not run away again. (Richard Green "died" in an explosion twenty odd years earlier, and Warren Ritter is one of several incarnations he has used since then.) Doing well on his meds for his bi-polar disease and with his computer hacker girlfriend Sally, he is still working on his relationship with his newfound daughter Fran. So when Fran shows up on his doorstep early one morning needing his help--she shares his bipolar gene--he steps in to do what he can.
When her husband first disappears with their baby Justin, and later ends up murdered with Fran the primary suspect, he sets aside his job as a street tarot reader for a few days and investigates. He finds another blast from his past, a fellow radical who used to be a member of the Black Panthers. What connection could he possibly have to Orrin's death? And what about Fran and Orrin's minister, whom Warren discovers has a secret past?
I really enjoy this series a lot--it's a shame there's only one more waiting. (Hopefully the series will continue, but the last one was published in 2008, so we shall see. The author writes very knowledgably about mental health issues and the treatment/medical system, his characters are engaging, and the mysteries interesting. This one I had sort of figured out, though not the logistics of it til the end. Anyway, another enjoyable entry in the series!
When her husband first disappears with their baby Justin, and later ends up murdered with Fran the primary suspect, he sets aside his job as a street tarot reader for a few days and investigates. He finds another blast from his past, a fellow radical who used to be a member of the Black Panthers. What connection could he possibly have to Orrin's death? And what about Fran and Orrin's minister, whom Warren discovers has a secret past?
I really enjoy this series a lot--it's a shame there's only one more waiting. (Hopefully the series will continue, but the last one was published in 2008, so we shall see. The author writes very knowledgably about mental health issues and the treatment/medical system, his characters are engaging, and the mysteries interesting. This one I had sort of figured out, though not the logistics of it til the end. Anyway, another enjoyable entry in the series!
January 6, 2012
Enjoyable, quick read. At first I was annoyed by the main character being arrogant and gratuitously homophobic, but he redeemed himself and became more interesting (and no longer homophobic) and the plot kept me engaged. The Tarot thing wasn't a major motif (maybe it is more so in the other books?), too bad, but I loved the Berkeley setting and almost felt I "recognized" the characters from around town!
December 17, 2015
I really enjoy this series. This episode had some nice plot twists and solid character development.
I appreciated Skibbins' deft handling of the complexities of mental illnesses and disorders. He takes a matter of fact but humorous approach that is also factual (rather than sensationalized or sanitized).
I will be reading other books in the series.
I appreciated Skibbins' deft handling of the complexities of mental illnesses and disorders. He takes a matter of fact but humorous approach that is also factual (rather than sensationalized or sanitized).
I will be reading other books in the series.
October 14, 2016
I have been looking for this book for a few years. I loves all the others. I loved this one too. I'm so sad there are not more in the series. The main character is amazing with his mental health issues normalized. The northern California setting. All of it.
November 6, 2007
Readable in a day or two. Interesting twist on the present-day mystery man: manic-depressive, former radical, current tarot card reader.
January 3, 2008
Warren Ritter helps his long-lost daughter, who, like he himself, is bipolar, in this mystery set in Berkeley and Santa Cruz.
October 21, 2009
My favorite thus far. I really cared about his daughter and the effect this trauma would have on her. This is a really good series
August 23, 2008
Another highly readable short novel featuring the very likeable Warren Ritter.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews